ADVERTISEMENT
Get Started
  • About Homebase Tv | Hbtvghana.com
  • Advertise
  • Broadcast Live
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Vacancies
  • Contact Us – Connect With Us
Homebase Tv - Hbtvghana.com
  • Home
  • General News
  • Business News
  • Health
  • Life & Style
  • Politics
    • Press Release
    • Parliament
  • Sports
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • General News
  • Business News
  • Health
  • Life & Style
  • Politics
    • Press Release
    • Parliament
  • Sports
No Result
View All Result
Homebase Tv - Hbtvghana.com
No Result
View All Result
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Korle-Bu’s decision to increase dialysis cost justified; inputs are expensive – Prof Frimpong-Boateng

Tue, Oct 10 2023 8:22 AM
in Ghana General News, Health
korle bus decision to increase dialysis cost justified inputs are expensive prof frimpong boateng
0
SHARES
0
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on TelegramShare on Whatsapp
ADVERTISEMENT

ReadAbout

Final-Year Wa Amass student hospitalised after stabbing over phone video dispute

Kwadaso MP dismisses ‘MahamaCares’ Bill as unnecessary and politically driven

Tampuli slams AG’s withdrawal of Duffuor case as ‘Operation Clear All Loot’

The committee was chaired by Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng

The celebrated heart surgeon and founder of the National Cardiothoracic Center, Professor Frimpong-Boateng has thrown his weight behind Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital’s decision to increase the price of dialysis which backfired after public uproar.

According to him, the inputs needed for dialysis are very expensive and without any increase or subsidy, it cannot be sustained.

Even though the one-time presidential aspirant of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) admits that most of the patients cannot pay for it, he insisted that without the increment, the service cannot be rendered at all.

He thus offered his support to the hospital, though belated adding that the hospital was not going to make a profit from the retracted increase.

Dialysis Fresenius 2008K 1
Dialysis machine

“The hospital is justified in increasing the cost of dialysis. The inputs are very expensive. If it costs about GH¢800 to GH¢1000 to render a service, you can’t charge GH¢380 or GH¢400.”

” I must admit that most people cannot afford it, but somebody has to pay for it. It is not the fault of the hospital, they are not going to make a profit out of it,” he said.

In the past week, the conversation on the search for dialysis treatment has been brought to the fore following the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital’s unsuccessful 100% increment in the cost of dialysis treatment.

The hospital blamed the removal of tax and import duty exemptions as the cause of the price hike.

According to KBTH, if the old charges are maintained, the dialysis facility would have to shut down in a matter of days.

Speaking on Kidney Health Matters on Joy News on Thursday, October 5, Chief Executive Officer of Korle-Bu, Dr. Opoku Ware Ampomah, said, “We have a GH¢4 million deficit, and then if we are to run at full capacity, we will need about GH¢‎961,000 subsidy every month to be able to maintain the current prices because of the numbers that we are doing. We are doing about 2000 search dialysis.”

Either government provides that subsidy or we are allowed some reasonable increase so that’s the kind of discussions we are having.”

He also said the facility was counting on the benevolence of individuals and corporate Ghana to bear some of the cost.

“We are also looking for other Ghanaians because First Sky Group has done tremendously well by providing free search dialysis by paying for 250 patients to have two sessions of dialysis every week throughout the year free of charge. So, other individuals and corporate Ghana can also join to ease the burden on the government,“ he noted.

Meanwhile, there are only 14 registered dialysis centres in the country, the Health Facilities Regulatory Agency (HeFRA) have said.

Out of the 14, seven are public and seven are privately owned.

Dialysis centres

They are the Riverwoods Medical Equipment and Dialysis Company, the Accra Kidney Clinic Limited, Sahel Health Ghana Limited, the Kidney Specialist Center, LTD, Eastern Regional Hospital, Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital and Central Dialysis.

The rest are the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Tamale Teaching Hospital, Maritime Hospital Ghana Limited, First Dialysis, Sage Medic Center, and Peace & Love Hospitals.

dialysis unit 4 639x424 1

Eight of the facilities are in the Greater Accra Region, three are in the Ashanti, Northern has one, Eastern has one, and Western Region has another.

What is Dialysis?

Dialysis is a treatment process that helps one’s body remove extra fluid and waste products from the blood when the kidneys are not able to.

Patients require dialysis three sessions per week to have a normal life.

Dialysis machines in Ghana

Nationwide, the total number of search dialysis machines is approximately 300, with the majority in the Greater Accra and Ashanti Regions. Four regions do not have a single search dialysis equipment. Citizens in these regions requiring dialysis must commute significant distances to seek care.

The cost of dialysis in Ghana ranges from GH₵‎300 to GH₵‎1000 per session. The median cost in government and quasi-government health facilities is GH₵‎400 (range GH₵‎300-GH₵‎600).

The average number of sessions required a week is 3. This means a patient requires approximately GHC1200 each week just to stay alive. If additional routine medication is added on an extra cost of GHC435 is required weekly. This brings the weekly cost to the patient to GHC1635 assuming they have no underlying conditions such as hypertension or diabetes.

This means the annual cost of staying alive is GH₵‎85,020 or GH₵‎7,085 a month.

Facts about kidney disease in Ghana

According to a pharmacist and Research Fellow at the Center for Democratic Development, CDD-Ghana, Dr. Kwame Asiedu Sarpong, based on current research, it is estimated that between 13% and 17% of Ghana’s population have some form of renal function impairment. This equates to between 4 million and 5.2 million citizens. Researchers suggest that, from this segment of the population, between 15,000 and 19,500 should be on search dialysis.

The data available suggests that approximately 2,000 people are currently on search dialysis. This means between 13,000 and 17,500 people are without treatment. These people will often seek alternative forms of treatment and access renal care only when the situation is acute. This has an impact on their quality of life and life expectancy.

All research suggests that the prevalence of chronic renal disease in Ghana has approximately doubled in the last 10 years with cases across the entire span of Ghana’s population age profile.

According to the Ministry of Health, Ghana’s outpatient per capita is 1.06, suggesting that on average Ghanaians see a primary care clinician once a year. In proactive health systems, this figure is around 4 (citizens see a clinician once every three months).

The fallout is that for the majority of our population, there is only one chance a year for any diagnosis of renal failure to be made except in an emergency. Whilst in proactive health systems there are at least four chances to identify these patients.

DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.

  • President Commissions 36.5 Million Dollars Hospital In The Tain District
  • You Will Not Go Free For Killing An Hard Working MP – Akufo-Addo To MP’s Killer
  • I Will Lead You To Victory – Ato Forson Assures NDC Supporters

Visit Our Social Media for More

About Author

c16271dd987343c7ec4ccd40968758b74d64e6d6c084807e9eb8de11a77c1a1d?s=150&d=mm&r=g

hbtvghana

See author's posts

Discover interesting ones too

Kpebu defends Duffuor case withdrawal; says half a loaf is better than none

Kpebu defends Duffuor case withdrawal; says half a loaf is better than none

0
Final-Year Wa Amass student hospitalised after stabbing over phone video dispute

Final-Year Wa Amass student hospitalised after stabbing over phone video dispute

0

NPP’s Divine Agorhom rules out third term bid as Greater Accra Chairman

Kwadaso MP dismisses ‘MahamaCares’ Bill as unnecessary and politically driven

Tampuli slams AG’s withdrawal of Duffuor case as ‘Operation Clear All Loot’

The Supreme Court’s ruling on Kevin Taylor’s arrest warrant: A triumph for due process or a precedent for judicial caution?

‘MahamaCares’ merely duplicates NHIS – Kofi Ofosu Nkansah questions policy logic

Today’s Front pages: Wednesday, July 23, 2025

Dismissed Ghana Gas staff decry unfair treatment, accuse management of partisan bias

Overstated GH¢138.91bn public debt figure “no ordinary mistake” – Abena Osei Asare

  • Dr. Musah Abdulai: If the Chief Justice returns: Will it lead to reset, redemption, or rupture?

    Dr. Musah Abdulai: If the Chief Justice returns: Will it lead to reset, redemption, or rupture?

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • OSP declares former Finance Ministry Advisor wanted over SML corruption probe

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Ghana and Japan agree to pursue UN Security Council reforms

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Ken Ofori-Atta’s extradition: FBI clears first major hurdle – No witch-hunt

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • I resigned because of Prez. Mahama, NDC – former GBA President

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Follow Homebase Tv

  • About Homebase Tv | Hbtvghana.com
  • Advertise
  • Broadcast Live
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Vacancies
  • Contact Us – Connect With Us

© 2014 Total Enjoyment & Proper News

No Result
View All Result

© 2014 Total Enjoyment & Proper News

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT

Add New Playlist

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.